In The News

As Baghdad Awaits Aid, Feeling Grows Against U.S.

Jane Perlez April 23, 2003
While the US shifts from war to reconstruction in Iraq, many worries surface. Maintaining stability between the competing Islamic sects of Shia and Sunni is one problem, especially as Iran sends agents to promote its cause amongst Iraqi Shias. Settling the issue of UN involvement and sanctions is another since Russia has asserted that sanctions only be lifted once UN inspectors have confirmed the...

Garner’s Challenge

April 22, 2003
Iraq’s post-war administration, led by former American General Jay Garner, faces difficult domestic and international political challenges as Iraq begins to rebuild. In addition to handling immediate problems such as providing basic services and keeping order, the administration must address potential religious conflict between Sunni Muslims and the Shia majority, as well as international...

Globalization's Challenge to Islam

Riaz Hassan April 17, 2003
The telephone, satellite television and the Internet have connected the Islamic community of 1.2 billion people across the globe. This connectivity has strengthened Muslims' sense of belonging to one community, which Islamic scholars call ummah. But it has also brought the realization that Islam, as practiced around the globe, is heterogenous. A group of Muslims in oil-rich Saudi Arabia have...

No Regrets in a Suburb Named After the Despot

Andrew Buncombe April 10, 2003
Ironic that a Baghdad suburb named after Saddam Hussein is home to a population that vehemently opposes him. The residents of Saddam City belong to the minority Shia sect and live in poverty. The attack on Iraq has provided the residents with a much over-due opportunity to publicly denounce Saddam. For the poor in Saddam City, the attacks are also an occasion to celebrate, by mass lootings of...

US Honeymoon may be Brief

April 9, 2003
Many Iraqis may express joy at being free from the terror of Saddam Hussein, but it would be wrong to confuse this joy with support for a US occupation of Iraq. In the coming weeks, the US has hard choices to make and should take care not to allow history to repeat itself. In this editorial, the lead up to the Iraqi invasion is compared to Israel’s invasion of Lebanon, with surprising...

U.S. Risks a Wave of Extremism

Husain Haqqani April 1, 2003
Most Arabs are skeptical of U.S. President Bush’s cry to bring democracy to Iraq. Arabs still remember France and Britain’s failed promises of liberation at the fall of the Ottoman Empire. They also fear that Bush is a fundamentalist Christian who will oppress Arab and Islamic identity as the US rebuilds Iraq. If, in the ensuing months, evidence confirms such fears, Islamic fundamentalism will...

A Harmonious Protest

Gihan Shahine March 10, 2003
Normally tense relations between the Egyptian government and opposition parties were quiet during a recent protest against the possible war in Iraq spearheaded by the U.S. The government did not engage in the customary pre-protest security checks and allowed all participants to freely express their views. A statement prepared by the organizers claimed that "any Arab country that facilitates...